ALAMO HEIGHTS, Texas — Business is booming for Christmas tree sellers, as families buy earlier to get the best pick of the bunch.
Tree lot managers reported selling out two weeks before Christmas last year, as more people stayed home and opted for the live trees instead.
As KENS 5 learned, with the boost in demand comes a higher price tag.
At Papa Noel Christmas Trees in Alamo Heights, the first truckload of firs arrived two Sundays ago. They're selling fast.
"We got about 730 trees the first day," said Sarah Henson, Co-Manager of the Alamo Heights Lot. "We're already almost through all of those."
Henson says their busiest day of the season is Black Friday.
"A lot of people have come in saying they came at Thanksgiving last year and we were already almost out, so we tried to prepare for that," she explained. "Based on last year, we've had a lot of people coming in early. So if you want to get a tree, I would recommend getting here as fast as you can."
Papa Noel ordered more trees from the farm this year, but meeting demand comes at a price.
"[The trees cost] probably between $10, $15, $20 more," said Henson. "The shipping for everything has been hectic this year."
Other reasons for the rise in costs, according to the Associated Press, include fewer trees being planted following the 2009 recession, and supply chain issues which also have an impact on artificial tree sales.
Even with a higher price tag, customers keep shopping.
Gerry Molina, who stopped by Papa Noel Christmas Trees Thursday evening, found his perfect tree in five minutes.
"My son's coming home in a few hours," said Molina. "I'm gonna surprise him and have it ready to go whenever he walks in the door. So all he's got to do is decorate it."
The Pachecano Family tell KENS 5 it's a Christmas tradition to pick out a tree together. Thursday, they decided to stop by Papa Noel on the fly and selected a Frasier Fir.
"20 minutes ago in the car I was like, 'Can we start decorating for Christmas?' and here we are!" said Arianna Pachecano, who said sellers sold out early in 2020. "There's something about going as a family to pick out the live tree. That's another aspect of bonding, another part of the joy of Christmas."
Arianna says the family chooses live trees for the irreplaceable scent. Her father, Roy, is content with their fir they're bringing home.
"I'm on the camp of the artificial tree that's already pre-lit because it's easier cleanup, but I was convinced this year that we should go au natural," said Roy. "Our country and the world has been going through a lot, so a live tree symbolizes renewal, growth and a wonderful holiday spirit."
Papa Noel tells KENS 5 they will get two more shipments of trees ahead of Christmas. Henson says they typically are notified of the delivery date day-of.